After years of complaints about neglect, Broward County's decaying eastern schools are finally getting priority treatment.

Now that voters approved an $800 million bond referendum Tuesday, school district officials are making plans to tackle the first projects. Construction is expected to begin in the summer.

Among the schools scheduled to get a makeover during the first year of the five-year plan: 63-year-old Stranahan High School and 51-year-old Northeast High, both in Fort Lauderdale; 62-year-old Blanche Ely High in Pompano Beach, 45-year-old Lauderdale Lakes Middle and 43-year-old Piper High in Sunrise. Upgrades include new air-conditioning and heating systems, new roofs and fire alarm and sprinkler-system replacements.

Many old schools have suffered from mold, poor air quality and leaking roofs, and some classrooms have become unusable. Textbooks and arts supplies have gotten damaged due to water damage and mold.

Parents, teachers and students from these schools have been lobbying school officials for quick repairs.

"These schools have waited a long time," said Mary Fertig, a Fort Lauderdale education activist. "What's happening educationally is great, but the conditions the kids sit in are deplorable."

The district's timeline includes new projects starting every year from 2015 to 2019.

About $134 million of work is expected to begin the first year, and about half the district's 234 schools will get some money. Twenty-four-schools, mostly older eastern schools, will get major investments of $1 million or more in 2015.

A few western schools also will get large investments during the first year.

Eagle Point Elementary in Weston, built in 1994, will get a new roof, air-conditioning system and $518,000 in technology dollars.

Pasadena Lakes Elementary in Pembroke Pines, built in 1971, will get upgrades to its roof and air-conditioning system as well as a renovated media center.

Every public school in Broward County receive some benefit from the $800 million bond referendum, passed by voters Nov.4. But ten schools, all of them high schools, stand to receive $158,204,000, or about 20 percent of the $800 million total. All numbers are from Broward Schools' project list. (Dan Sweeney)

Some schools receiving large amounts of bond money will have to wait.

Most work at Nova High School in Davie, which is receiving the largest-overall investment of $24.8 million, starts in 2016. So does a $12.4 million addition to Cypress Bay High. About $8 million in air-conditioning and roofing upgrades at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland are slated for 2019.

"In a perfect world, we would do every roof in year one, but the market can't bear us putting out that many roof jobs," said Derek Messier, district facilities chief. "The supply of contractors couldn't meet our demands, and the prices would go way up."

Work was prioritized based on the severity of the problem and if temporary repairs would be expensive, Messier said. Some schools slotted in the back end of the plan may get moved up if their problems worsen, he said.

Construction is expected to take one to two years, depending on the complexity of the project, Messier said. Schools will remain open for students during that time, he said.

About $80 million of the bond money will be used for technology upgrades. All schools will receive some of this money over the next three years, including $12 million set aside for charter schools.

All district-run schools will get $100,000 for capital projects of their choice.

The benefits of the bond will go beyond the classroom, Superintendent Robert Runcie said. He cited an economic impact study that showed it is expected to create 8,800 jobs and have a $1.2 billion economic impact.

"It's a win for our students, a win for our teachers, a win for our community and a win for our economy," Runcie said.

On Nov. 18, the district will discuss who will be on an oversight committee designed to ensure the money is spent properly. The committee is being created as away to regain the public's trust, following years of corruption and mismanagement related to school facilities that led to scathing grand jury reports and the arrests of two School Board members.

Former School board member Beverly Gallagher was arested in 2009, pleaded guilty and served three years in prison.

Stephanie Kraft was arrested in 2010, pleased not guilty and is still awaiting trial after several postponements. Last month, the state Ethics Commission found probable cause to suspect Kraft violated ethics rules by allegedly accepting compensation in return for taking official action that would benefit local developers.

Those problems predate Runcie and most School Board members, and they've made a number of policy and personnel changes in the school facilities department.

The district expects to start seeking construction for bids in April, Messier said.

And although some building contractors largely financed a pro-bond political action committee, they won't get any priority for work, Runcie said.

"We'll have a very competitive and transparent process," Runcie said. "No one gets priority. The only people that get priority in this district are children."

Database specialist Ann Choi contributed to this report. stravis@sunsentinel.com or 561-243-6637561-243-6637 or 954-425-1421954-425-1421

Major projects in 2015

Here are the largest Broward school bond-funded projects scheduled to begin in the first year of the five-year plan.